Hollow tile or block clamp.



F. A. WISW'ELL.

HOLLOW TILE 0R BLOCK CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, I914.

1,146,223I. Patented July 13, 1915.

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Httarney COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0..\\',\sHINuTON. D. c.

- rnea FREDERICK A. WISWELL, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-FIFTHS TO ELIZABETH EPHELAN, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

HOLLOW TILE 0R BLOCK CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13;, 1915.

Application filed February 19, 1914. 1 Serial 110.819,?13.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. WIS- WELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inI-Iollow Tile or Block Clamps, of which the-fob lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in holding or looking devices or clamps for use in connection with hollow tiles 'or blocks, and has particular reference to a locking device or clamp of this character, which is adapted to be arranged wholly within the tiles or blocks, and serving to securely bind them together in a novel manner and to facilitate the placing of the same in a proper position when being laid.

An important object of the invention is to provide means of the above mentioned character, which are simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable.

A further object of the invention is to provide clamping or looking devices of the above mentioned character, adapted to be arranged between strata or layers of hollow tiles, the same serving to hold the tiles in one stratum or layer against both lateral and longitudinal movements with relation to the tiles inthe other stratum or layer, such clamping or holding devices, when thus in use, being adapted to be completely concealed from an exterior view.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same, Figure 1 is a plan view of a stamped blank from which my clamping or holding device is formed, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the completed holding or locking device, Fig. 3 is a side eleva tion of the same, Fig. 4 is a transverse sec tional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a plan view of a stratum or layer of tiles or blocks with my improved clamping or holding device in place thereon, and, Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 5. I

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 10 designates a blank, preferably formed of suitably stlif sheet metal, provided upon its trans verse edges 11, with transverse slots 12, forming transverse tongues 13, which are bent downwardly to depend from a body portion 14, preferably apertured at the cen ter, as shown at 15. The blank 10 has its longitudinal edges 15 provided with longitudinally extending slots 17, forming tongues 18, 19 and 20. Thetongues 18 are preferably bent downwardly, to depend from laterally extending portions 21, inte gral with the body portion 14. The tongues 19 are preferably bent upwardly, and are carried by the body portion 14, as shown. The terms transverse and longitudinal are employed with respect to the hollow tiles or blocks, to be described. The tongues 20 remain horizontal or substantially parallel with the body portion 14, as shown. The function of the horizontal tongues 20, referred to in the claims as supporting tongues, is to provide means for holding the clamp against vertical displacement, when arranged between the ends of the lower hollow tile or block, it being advantageous to arrange some of these clamps between the ends of the hollow tiles or blocks, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5.

In Figs. 5 and 6, the numeral 22 designates hollow tiles including longitudinal walls 23, and transverse walls 24 and 25, as shown.

In the use of the clamping or holding device, the same may be advantageously arranged upon the adjacent ends of two of the hollow tiles or blocks in the same stratum, with the body portion 14 upon and engaging the upper edges of the transverse end portions 24, while the tongues 13 engage the inner faces thereof, as shown. The depending tongues 18 engage the inner faces of the longitudinal walls 23 of the tiles in the same or lower stratum. It is thus seen that the clamping or holding device will bind the tiles in the same or lower stratum together, against longitudinal and lateral movement with relation to each other. The hollow tile 22 constituting the next or upper stratum may now be placed upon the lower layer or stratum, with the transverse wall 25, preferably engaging the adjacent transverse walls 24, such transverse walls .25 fitting between the spaced upstanding tongues 19, which also engage the inner faces of the side walls 23 of the same tile, thus serving to hold the hollow block or tile in the upper layer against longitudinal and transverse displacement with relation to the tile or tiles in the lower stratum.

It is obvious that my improved holding or locking device does not in any Way prevent or interfere with the use of plaster or cement to secure the hollow blocks or tiles together, nor do any portion or portions of the device extend exteriorly of the tiles when assembled, whereby there are no ends of the holding device to protrude into the plaster wall, ordinarily applied'to the exterior surface of the tiles, when they are assembled to form a wall. It is obvious that by constructing my holding or locking device so that the same will be arranged wholly within the hollow tiles or blocks, the size thereof may be materially reduced, with a corresponding reduction of material and cost in manufacture of the same.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be re sorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is A clamp for hollow tiles or blocks, comprising a substantially flat plate adapted to be arranged transversely of the meeting ends of the tiles and carrying at its opposite ends substantially horizontal suspension tongues to rest upon the edges of the longitudinal walls of the hollow tiles; depending transverse holding tongues secured to the sides of the plate to engage with the ends of the tiles and spaced substantial distances from the ends of the plate and the side Walls of the tiles; lateral extensions carried by the plate at the corners thereof; and upwardly and downwardly extending tongues carried by each lateral extension to engage the inner surfaces of the side walls of the upper and lower hollow tiles; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK A. WIS WELL. Witnesses:

H. G. Sorrnonnnn,

W. A. STOCK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

